By Marisa Ferriera
Head Photographer
In a board meeting on Jan. 26, Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) discussed the budget for the upcoming school year, addressing new financial developments, special education, new COVID-19 protocol, and the arrest of Kevin Bandel, an MBUSD staff member.
Over winter break, there was a spike in positive COVID-19 cases among students and teachers. In the weeks following the break, many individuals did not attend school to quarantine after contracting COVID-19. Costa is now offering both antigen and PCR testing on campus in an attempt to counteract the spread of the Omicron strain of COVID-19.
“We can say that student safety is and always will be our top priority,” said board Vice President Cathey Graves.
Also discussed in the meeting was the arrest of instructional assistant for district strings program Kevin Bandel for possession of child pornography. He has been placed on administrative leave. Redondo Beach Police claim they do not have knowledge that the pornongraphy is connected to an MBUSD student.
“This [Bandel’s arrest] is difficult news to share, and we ask that anyone with any information contact the Redondo Beach Police Department,” said Graves. “We have counseling services available for MBUSD students as well.”
Another topic discussed in the meeting was the school’s new education budget for the 2022-23 school year. The budget is separated into two sections: local control funding formula (LCFF), a program that regulates the school’s budget by giving set amounts to different educational categories, and general funding that the school is able to spend on other initiatives.
“In recent years, more educational categories have come back into schools,” said Graves. “A lot of steep funding fills the needs of education, and little is paid by property taxes.”
Approximately $19.8 billion, or 25% of property taxes, is distributed to schools, while 75% is allotted to other agencies in Los Angeles County. State property tax in California pays for 29% of the funds needed in school districts, and property taxes pay for 83% of the LCFF funding for Costa educational programs, according to mbusd.org.
“It’s important to understand that at this point, even if our property taxes were bigger, we wouldn’t get necessarily more money through the LCFF,” said Graves.
The school’s goal with the funding, according to a board member, is to support the implementation of high quality education programs in MBUSD. MBUSD is working toward this goal by providing funding for small class sizes; making sure every school has a full-time health assistant; hiring more staff for school maintenance; increasing the members of technology staff; transitioning to more recent textbooks; providing more professional development for teachers; increasing funding for class supplies; and investing in structural improvements.
“It is important to understand that our our percentage is among the lowest in the state. MBUSD and Hermosa Beach Unified School District (HBUSD) tie between the lowest funded schools in L.A. county,” said board President Jennifer Cochran.
The MBUSD board claims that the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) does not sufficiently support the school’s Special Education program, considering the annually increasing cost of program upkeep. According to the district, hopes for more funding are placed on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s increased efforts to improve special education programs in California.
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